Langkawi Chronicles: Stray Overload

A total of 27 days now I have been in Langkawi. Much is yet to be seen and experienced of course. But I am drawn towards a serious problem in Langkawi - stray animals.

Langkawi it seems has a situation with regards to cats and dogs. They are just everywhere. I find myself finding animals everywhere I go. And for many of those cases, the animals don't look too healthy.

Rail thin kittens, flea bitten dogs, mangy toms abound almost anywhere human habitation or business exist.

I have visited the volunteer run animal sanctuary Langkawi LASSie here near Pantai Cenang, they can be found here http://bit.ly/KKAXep, and they are doing their damnedest best to control the ever increasing population growth. I see many cats and dogs, carrying the signature LASSie treatment mark, which to me at least, suggest that some battles are still being valiantly fought despite the odds.

I am not too sure how long the good guys there can keep it up but bless their kind hearts and willing bodies to take up such an undertaking.

Honestly, I don't understand why some people can keep pets and then when the habit becomes inconvenient, say for instance, they got to move elsewhere, the pet falls ill, the cuteness wears off, the animal grows old and requires incrementally greater care, or others, t he very same people who swears a while ago that they love their pets can blithely abandon their animals.

Frequently I find, to my horror, updates on the FB page of LASSie of some found, abandoned or neglected animal. It breaks my heart.

I am not in a position now to offer more help, but I soon hope to be able to. In the meantime, spare them some care and thought and much needed love and help out any which way you can - Cash, Kind, Support, Words of Encouragement or Helping to spread the word around. 

There is something everyone can do to help!

Please consider helping out! Tigger and Munchkin and many more of their brethren need our continued love!

Doe-eyed Tigger!

Me Mini Munchkin!

Langkawi Chronicles: BuraqOil

Petrol stations are few and far in between in Langkawi. Trying to find my favourite brand Shell, is nigh on inconvenient. There is only 1 outlet in the whole of Langkawi, and to add insult, it is in Kuah, easily 3 kilometers away from where I live. Some Petronas outlets here and there in the primary townships, but am not a fan of their petrol anyways.

Driving around the other day, I found this sad looking outlet in Temoyong (yes, really, Temoyong. I have no idea what that means!), and another, at the end of jalan Chandek Kura (don't ask).

It used to have a small convenience store and a cashiering system. Now, all that's left is only a tragic reminder of the snack store and the office, being run by a kid who I guess is probably 10 years old (but entrepreneurial!). Le sad!

:)

Langkawi Chronicles : Job Well Done!

The team here just successfully attended to a family clan get-together of a well known Malaysian VIP. 

The group started check-in into our resort on 16th and on 22nd they left. 36 persons in total. We made arrangements for their rooming, in-house meals and activities as well as planned for their off-resort fun. 

In all, it has been a challenging run for me and the team and  I am thankful that my counterpart who will soon return to HQ was present to tag-team the tasks. 

Select individuals from HQ was also flown to the resort to help out, of which I am also thankful for. Catering for a group of such discerning tastes is no easy task. Having them come from different parts of the world also puts an interesting requirement to the planning. 

Indoor games & activities - karaoke, carrom, congkak, jenga, chess and more, were set up for their use. Ping Pong & Water Polo tournaments, Beach & Sea Adventures - island hop, jet ski, para-sailing & banana-boat rides, rest & relaxation spa treatments,  as well as tourist trap go-sees were negotiated, plotted and replotted. Dinner bookings and menu planning were to me the most exciting, trying to feed and satisfy so many eager mouths. 

It was a long and hard week for the lot of us, and many, who were not used to the punishing workload were visibly struggling, but we managed to soldier on despite our aching bodies. Many ended working upwards of 14 hours everyday (I myself worked 0700-0030 almost daily). Logistics alone was a puzzling workout!

At the end most importantly, our guests all had nice things to say and were appreciative of the level of attention and care we accorded them. The guests shook our hands warmly as we bid them adieu. It was almost sad to see them leave, mixed with a sense of accomplishment on a job well done. 

We received a small tip at the end left by our gracious guest and I can wait to share with the team. I got a personal gift from the VIPs themselves, a humble gift of a Pelikat sarong. To many, this would be a tiny gift, but to some Johoreans, being gifted with Pelikat, or it's female variant, Batik Lepas, is an expression of honest gratitude and the solemn doa for well-being for the recipient. 

I was dumbstruck as this was possibly the quiet meaning behind the gesture.